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eMOLT Update 2025-04-25
Weekly Recap
Last week, with funding from Sea Grant’s American Lobster Initiative,
the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation (GOMLF) and the Northeast Regional
Association of Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS) hosted a workshop for
lobstermen in Ellsworth, ME. The goal of the workshop was to get
feedback on what the scientific community could be doing better to
collect data of interest to the fleet and make those data available and
usable to all of you. You can read more about the workshop on New
England Business Media’s MaineBiz
site. A huge thanks to the 32 fishermen who showed up and participated
in the discussions. Thanks also to Katy and the team at NERACOOS for
organizing the meeting, Erin and Emma from the GOMLF for keeping things
running smoothly, and all of the presenters, especially Andrew from
UMaine who stepped up to fill in for me in the afternoon because Federal
rules prohibit me from traveling that far. Finally, thanks to Cooper
from Ocean Data Network for stepping out of the meeting to do some
impromptu field testing of a sensor that was acting a little funny. We
look forward to spending some time digging through all of the
suggestions and feedback from the workshop and hopefully rolling out
some exciting new data products in the coming months.

Figure 1 – A) Dr. Andrew Goode (UMaine) walks fishermen through
the operation of deckboxes and sensors used in the eMOLT Program and
what types of data fishermen can see in their wheelhouse. B) Maine
fishermen met with scientists and data managers from around the region
in Ellsworth to discuss priorities for environmental monitoring and
ideas for new data products. C) Cooper from ODN took sensor ZT-0312 out
for a test drive off a nearby bridge.
NGOM Scalloping
Thanks to Captain Brady and Travis aboard the F/V Salted for taking
Anna and me out for a Northern Gulf of Maine scalloping trip earlier
this week. It was awesome to see an eMOLT system in action in the field,
talk through some ideas for better ways to look at the data, and pick
through piles of scallops. It was also a humbling experience, as going
to sea aboard commercial boats often is. Not only was I slow to shuck, I
was also just bad at it. Brady suggested I stick to science for the time
being.

Figure 2 – A) The eMOLT sensor on the F/V Salted is U-bolted
through small plates welded to the dredge. Hose clamps provide a belt
and suspenders approach to attaching the sensor and hold some chafing
gear in place as additional protection. B) It was a little foggy when we
first got out to the grounds. C) We saw several other eMOLT participants
out there including Capt. Phil on the F/V Charger. D) This is a
beautiful scallop and definitely not one that I shucked. E) By the time
we were on our way in, the fog had lifted enough that the Boston skyline
was visible off in the distance.
Gear Grab
Emma from the GOMLF was out on the water this week too, working with
lobstermen around Cundys Harbor, Harpswell, and Phippsburg to grapple
derelict gear out of the water through the Gear Grab Program. Check out
their totals for two days worth of work below!
This week, the eMOLT
fleet recorded 306 tows of sensorized fishing gear totaling 1392 sensor
hours underwater. The warmest recorded bottom temperature was 51.7 F
east of Nygren Canyon in approximately 130 fathoms (red profile) and the
coldest recorded bottom temperature was 38.5 F off Ogunquit in
approximately 56 fathoms (blue profile).
The warmest profile appears to be on the edge of a warm core ring off
the eastern end of Georges Bank, and the black profile in the plot
appears to actually be inside the ring.

Figure 3 – Sea Surface Temperatures from NASA Worldview showing a
warm core ring off the eastern end of Georges Bank late last
week
Seasonal stratification appears to be setting up in the western Gulf
of Maine, Massachusetts Bay, and south of Long Island (blue, teal, and
orange profiles), while the waters off Downeast Maine and along the
northern edge of Georges Bank remain well mixed for the time being.

Figure 4 – Temperature profiles collected by eMOLT participants
over the last week. The blue profile is where the coldest bottom
temperature was measured and the red profile is where the warmest bottom
temperature was measured. All other colors are assigned randomly.
Colored points on the map indicate where profiles of the same color were
collected. The small dark green dots represent other profiles collected
this week, but not highlighted in the plot. Note that the warmest /
coldest bottom temperatures measured could have occurred during gear
soaks, which are not represented on this profile plot.
2025 State of the Ecosystem Reports Available Online
The Ecosystem Dynamics and Assessment Branch at the Northeast
Fisheries Science Center works with many other parts of the NEFSC to
build annual reports for the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Councils about the current status of the Northeast Shelf
marine ecosystems (Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and the Mid Atlantic
Bight). NEFSC Director Dr. Jon Hare highlighted a few notable
observations from the past year in a recent email:
- There were cooler average annual sea surface temperatures than
recent years, but it was still warm compared to long-term averages
- There was a well-established Mid-Atlantic cold pool
- The spatial and timing patterns of several fisheries were very
different compared with recent years
This year’s “State of the Ecosystem” reports are available at the
links below.
System Hardware Upgrade List
The following vessels remain on our list for hardware upgrades. If
you aren’t on the list and think you should be, please reach out.
Note that this list is different from our new install
queue.
- F/V Kaitlyn Victoria
- F/V Kyler C
- F/V Noella C
- F/V Sea Watcher I
Bottom Temperature Forecasts
Doppio
This week, 89.6% of bottom temperature observations were within 2
degrees (F) of the Doppio forecasted value at those points. Most of the
tows this week took place in areas where the model has performed well
previously (in Massachusetts Bay and south of Long Island). The model
also performed well along the northern edge of Georges Bank. Temps were
a little cooler than expected east of Penobscot Bay and a few were
warmer than expected along the shelf edge.

Figure 5 – Performance of the Doppio forecast’s bottom
temperature layer over the last week relative to observations collected
by eMOLT participants. Red dots indicate areas where bottom temperature
observations were warmer that predicted. Blue dots indicate areas where
bottom temperature observations were cooler than predicted. Bottom
temperature observations are compared with the most recent forecast run
available before the observation was made.

Figure 6 – The most recent Doppio bottom temperature forecast.
The gray line is the 50 fathom line and the black line is the hundred
fathom line. Purple shades indicate cooler water.
Announcements
Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association Gear Distribution Day
Thanks to a MA Seafood Marketing grant through the Lobster Foundation
of Massachusetts and MADMF, the MLA is giving away free rope and bands.
They will also have other weak contrivances such as South Shore sleeves
and weak links. Ketcham is bringing marking materials such as red twine,
green twine, red tape, red heat shrink, and white heat shrink.
Spring Cooperative Research Surveys on the Water
The F/V Rudee Mariner steamed out of Virginia Beach, VA on
Wednesday morning for the Hook and Line Survey’s first leg of the
season.
The F/V Tenacious II left Sandwich, MA and the F/V Mary Elizabeth
left Scituate, MA on Thursday morning for the Gulf of Maine Bottom
Longline Survey’s first leg of the season.
Contribute to the 2026 Management Track Fishery Stock
Assessments
The Northeast Fisheries Science Center seeks input from our regional
assessment partners, including the fishing industry (commercial and
recreational), state agency scientists, academic researchers, and
interested members of the public to help guide development of our next
Management
Track Assessments.
Specifically, the NEFSC is looking for on-the-water observations or
data sets on topics such as distribution, stock health, fishing dynamics
and management, and the role these stocks play in the ecosystem.
June 2026 Management Track Stocks include
- Atlantic herring
- Butterfish
- Georges Bank Atlantic cod
- Georges Bank haddock
- Longfin inshore squid
- Ocean quahog
Update on LOC-NESS Project
The Environmental Protection Agency has granted a research permit for
the LOC-NESS Project to run a field trial in the Gulf of Maine this
summer. The project team provided a press
release as well as a link to the federal
docket that explains the EPA’s decision making. For more information
you can check out the project website here.
Disclaimer
The eMOLT Update is NOT an official NOAA document. Mention of
products or manufacturers does not constitute an endorsement by NOAA or
Department of Commerce. The content of this update reflects only the
personal views of the authors and does not necessarily represent the
views of NOAA Fisheries, the Department of Commerce, or the United
States.
All the best,
-George
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